Quantum Leaps in Swimming: An Interview with Don Swartz

Don Swartz got his start as a club coach in 1967 when he worked with George French at the Ladera Oaks Aquatic Club in Northern California as an age group coach. After living in Davis, California, he moved to Marin County to become the Head Coach of the Marin Aquatic Club. From 1970 to 1976, he coached a number of swimmers who went on to make the Olympic, World Championship, and Pan-American teams. Some of these swimmers set world records. One of his swimmers, Rick DeMont, broke the 4-minute mark in the 400-meter freestyle race at the World Championships in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, in 1973. He was the first person to do this.

The Marin Aquatic Club had a lot of high school All-Americans and usually finished in the top 10 at the AAU National Championships. Don was on the Board of the ASCA and spoke at a number of World Clinics for the ASCA. He was a coach on the teams for the 1975 World Championships and the 1977 dual meets in East Germany and Russia for the national teams.

Don started the Creative Performance Institute in 1977. For eight years, it was his main job to teach coaches and athletes about the mental side of sports. In his workshops, he talked about things like setting goals, taking risks, dealing with anxiety, and visualizing. Many high school, club, and college teams were among his clients. He also worked in Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, Sweden, and Ireland, all of which are in other countries.

His dedication is best shown by saying, "My goal is to be the best coach I can be by continuing to grow." As a coach, I'm still getting better. Since I no longer coach in a vacuum, every week my skills improve."

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00:00 - Welcome Don Swartz! 

01:00 - The Quantum Leap 

12:22 - Individual Differences 

8:00 - Paradigm Shift in Swimming 

26:03 - Reflect, Experiment, and Evolve 

34:54 - Goal Setting and Accountability 

41:46 - Taking Risks To Be Successful